


We Can Go Elsewhere

by drxpdead



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 09:03:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3482387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drxpdead/pseuds/drxpdead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan and Phil are best friends, as well as next door neighbors, who don't have the best home life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Can Go Elsewhere

Dan remembered when Phil Lester had moved next door to him. It was June 11, the day of his tenth birthday, and the new neighbors had come to say hello. 

"This is the coolest room ever." Phil had exclaimed, staring at the paper covered walls and large bed in glee. Dan had never thought much about it, but he was happy this boy seemed to love it. 

"Thanks." Dan said somewhat shyly. He wasn't use to people complimenting him in any kind of way. 

They'd stayed up there for a while, quickly becoming fast friends, and when it was time for Phil to leave, Dan hadn't wanted him to. He was actually rather enjoying himself. 

"We're gonna be best friends, alright?" Phil said as he was walking out of the door, gripping Dan's arm tightly. His blue eyes were shining and Dan couldn't help but grin at his eagerness. 

"Of course." He responded.

And over the next few years, they became as close as brothers. 

Dan had never had someone in his life he could truly confide in, about everything, but now he had Phil, and it was great. Phil was the only one who would listen without interrupting, and he never judged Dan about anything. And the best part, he trusted Dan with personal things about him too. 

When Dan starting having issues with older kids in secondary school, he could always go tell Phil, cry on his shoulder and then hang out at his until he was smiling again. Phil never once brought it up unless Dan started it, and he was grateful. 

When they were 14, they discovered that their windows were right next to each other, and it would only take a small jump for Phil to be on Dan's rooftop. After that, they would stay up late at night after their parents had gone to bed, and would talk about everything. Dan had actually started to look forward to the end of the day, and Phil would knock lightly on his window, and no matter how cold it was, they'd talk. About nothing, usually, school and people, it wasn't until Year 9 that it became more deep. They'd imagine what the future for them would be like, and how they wanted to leave the world, and once they'd even had a slightly awkward conversation about losing their virginity. Not that it had happened for either of them yet.

A few months later, when Dan's parents started arguing almost every night, Dan would climb out of his window and sit there by himself, and it was like Phil had some sort of Dan-sense, cause he was always there to keep him company. He never asked what the matter was, because they could both hear the obvious yelling and sometimes something being thrown across the room, and Phil would pull him into a hug so that Dan could cry silently. 

And then one night, when Dan was almost seventeen and Phil was practically an adult, they were out on the roof. Sharing a blanket cause it was middle of December and they were likely to both get sick anyway. 

"Dan?" Phil has said, looking up at the sky pensively. It was close to three a.m., and Dan was on the verge of drifting off. "I can trust you with anything, right?"

Dan looked over at him, wondering why he'd gotten so serious all of a sudden. "Of course you can." He'd said. "Is something wrong?"

Phil paused for a second, and shrugged. "I don't know. Depends on what your definition of wrong is."

He was actually starting to get worried. Phil looked sort of sad, like he didn't know what to do, and Phil was never like this. He was the confident one in this pair. 

"I just don't want you to hate me." Phil whispered, clutching the blanket tighter around him. 

"I think we've been through enough that nothing will make me hate you." Dan said, reaching out and tangling their fingers together. It wasn't an intimate gesture, just something they did when comforting each other. 

Phil was silent. Dan had been around him for seven years now, long enough to know that this was unusual. Phil never hesitated in telling him something, this must have been very serious. 

"I kissed a boy today." Phil said quietly. "I kissed him, during lunch behind that old shed near the back of the school. I don't know why, but it wasn't bad. I actually kind of liked it."

Dan stared at him for a moment, fully processing what his best friend had said. "So, are you...?"

"Gay?" Phil said. "I don't know. Bisexual, maybe. Not straight."

"Oh." Dan said. He didn't know how to respond, he'd never been in this situation. He didn't hate Phil, he wasn't some asshole homophobe. "Well, that's alright then."

Phil looked over at him, and Dan was surprised that he was close to tears. "You have no idea how much that means to me." Phil said, smiling widely and throwing his arms around Dan. Dan hugged him back, not commenting on the fact that his shirt was getting wet and just burying his face into Phil hair. 

And now Dan was confused. 

Phil had come out to him a couple weeks ago, and to this day, Dan couldn't stop thinking about it. Phil was gay (he'd confirmed it not too long ago). He liked guys, kissed guys. Because he wanted to. It made Dan jealous. 

Because now there were other people that he had to share Phil with. They'd been a duo for years now, never really letting anyone else too close and sticking together all the time. Dan had gotten use to having Phil to himself, whenever he wanted. 

But now their plans were starting to get canceled, because Phil had a date that night, and Dan would sit on his roof alone sometimes and he once heard Phil talking to someone. Not his parents, because they'd gone out of town. 

He missed Phil. It was like, before they'd met, Dan had been missing something. A big, gaping something, and he never really knew what it was. And when Phil had showed up that day on his birthday, Dan had thought he'd found it, that place was filled with blue eyes and a smart mouth. 

But now those eyes were looking into someone else's, and that mouth was most likely kissing other people. And Dan didn't like it. 

For almost a month, Dan stayed in his room. He only left to go to school or when his parents forced him to leave, but for the most part, he was holed up by himself. He didn't have anywhere to go, now that his usually hangout spot was occupied by some other, more important person. 

It wasn't until near the end of March that there was a change, a rift in this new routine. Dan had taken to staying up way late, until almost sunrise, and had obtained a new hobby of browsing the internet. It was on one of these early morning adventures, nearing 4a.m., that someone knocked on his window, and Dan actually jumped. He looked over at the drawn shades, and saw the silhouette of a person outside. He had a pretty good guess as to who it was. 

"I swear, I fucking hate them." Phil fumed as soon as Dan unlatched the window. He didn't even wait before climbing inside, folding his over six foot frame through the square of Dan's window. "They're such pretentious assholes, not giving a damn about anyone but themselves."

Dan didn't say anything, just watching as Phil paced his room, muttering other profanities under his breath. He was really caught off guard, Phil just bursting in, swearing like a sailor, after barely even looking at him for weeks. 

"What are you going on about?" Dan asked, because he did want to know. And he knew that when Phil was pissed, it was best to let him get it all out. 

"Parents." Phil said, as if he was talking about a rapist. He looked very disheveled, hair a mess and his clothes were all over the place. "They're so damn nosy, always poking into my personal life, where they know they don't belong. If they just kept to themselves, they wouldn't have to be so ignorant."

"I'm kind of confused here, Phil." Dan said, crossing his arms.

"I came out to them." Phil said, rubbing his face agitatedly. "Well, not really. They went through my phone and found my texts. I mean, what kind of parent does that?"

Dan didn't know their whole background, but he knew the Lester parents were very persistent. They wanted to know everything about their sons' life, and they wouldn't stop until they got some answers. The times Dan had been over there, he'd been thoroughly interrogated by them. 

"And they didn't like it, not at all." Phil continued, and Dan didn't miss the small crack in his voice. "Screamed at me for an hour, said it wasn't right, this isn't how they raised me. As if I was some kind of abomination."

Dan remained where he was. "Where were you?" He asked. Phil stopped, looking up at him in confusion. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, where were you? Why haven't you talked to me these last few weeks?"

"You serious?" Phil said, laughing in disbelief. "My parents found out I'm gay and have openly showed their hatred for me, and you're worried about why I haven't talked to you?"

"What the fuck do you want me to say, Phil?" Dan said. "You left me, abandoned me, for almost a month, and now you decide to drop all your problems on me? I'm sorry, alright, but I don't really know what you expect me to do about it."

Phil scowled. "I don't know, maybe comfort me and tell me things will be alright? Like any good friend?" He said. "Cause right now, I don't have anyone that will."

Dan stare at him for the longest time, mentally arguing with himself. He'd told himself that if he ever saw Phil again, he wouldn't forgive him, but right now, with Phil standing in the middle of his room, close to tears. He couldn't do that. Because he knew damn well if it was him, he'd want someone to rely on. 

"I'm sorry." Dan said. "I just. I didn't know what to think."

"It's fine." Phil said. He looked so tired and beaten down, like nothing could really help him at this point. 

"You can stay the night. If you want." Dan suggested. He wouldn't want Phil to have to be put through anymore shit than he had already. 

"I shouldn't." Phil said with a small smile. "My parents might assume I'd run away with some other guy and call the police."

"Fuck them." Dan said defensively. "If you don't want to be there, then you don't have to be. Let them think whatever they want."

"I'll be fine." Phil said. He walked over, wrapping his arms around Dan's waist tightly. Like he was holding onto him for support. Dan hugged him back, slightly nuzzling his neck. He'd missed this kind of physical comfort. "And sorry if I made you think I'd abandoned you. I'd never do that to you." 

"I know." Dan muttered. He had been acting overdramatic about the whole thing, because he was selfish. He wanted to be the only one that Phil trusted.

They stood like for some time, just holding onto each other, as if they were repairing their relationship through this contact. Dan didn't mind at all, he was just glad that they were okay again. 

And when Phil pulled back again, and looked Dan in the eye and smiling weakly, his face still shining with tears, and there was this weird pull in Dan's stomach, and maybe it was the way Phil's eyes were sparkling in the barely-there moonlight and he was still clutching his arms, that made Dan lean forward, until their lips met in the darkness of his room. 

It was soft and sort of awkward, since they'd never done this before. Not with each other. Phil's lips tasted like salt and toothpaste and just Phil. It wasn't bad. 

Dan was surprised that Phil didn't pull away first. He didn't think that his friend would want this sort of thing to happen between them for obvious reasons. But after a few minutes that felt like hours, Dan broke the kiss, because he was getting lightheaded. They stayed close, practically breathing each other's air. 

"I didn't. I didn't mean to do that." Dan said quietly. His hands were pressed against the front of Phil's shirt, and he could feel the boys heart beating under his palm. 

"Then why did you?" Phil asked, sounding slightly dazed. 

"I just." Dan paused. "Felt like it was something that should be done." He really hoped this hadn't fucked everything up between them now. 

And then there were fingers curling tightly into his hair, and Phil kissed him again, a lot more urgent than before. Dan didn't move, digging his hands into Phil's shirt and kissing him back. He didn't even hesitate when Phil gently pushed his tongue into his mouth, it was actually welcoming. 

Now it all made sense. Dan hadn't been jealous of the fact that someone else had Phil's company. He'd been jealous that Phil was dating someone, had a boyfriend, and it wasn't Dan. He'd missed Phil's touch, not in a comforting way, but in the way that he could barely think without it. 

He liked Phil. Not as a best friend, as more than that. 

And here they were, making out at four in the morning in the middle of Dan's room. He really hadn't realized how deep his feelings went, how much he wanted this, until right now. 

Phil pulled away all of a sudden, breathing hard and still clutching Dan's hair. Dan looked up at him and saw he was smiling, and Dan smiled too. 

"Thanks." Phil said, and Dan nodded. "I need to go."

And then he left again, through the window and stepping back onto his own roof into his own room. Dan watched until the curtains fell back into place, and he couldn't see Phil anymore.

His mind was a mess. He hasn't thought much about it before, about maybe having feelings for Phil. He'd always assumed it was friendly protectiveness, the need to just talk to him and hang out. But after what had just happened, he knew that it was deeper than that. 

But he didn't feel like dwelling on it too much right now. He has school tomorrow, and his body was likely to shut down at any minute. 

So he climbed back under his sheets, ignoring the whirlwind of confusion in his head. Closing his eyes and dreaming about what could be.

~ ~ ~

That morning (a few hours later, really), Dan headed downstairs and froze when he saw his parents sitting at the kitchen table. It was unusual seeing them both up this early, let alone in the same room these days. Not to mention they both looked pretty uncomfortable. 

His mum looked up at him, her face written all over with guilt and desperation. Dan had no idea what was going on, but he was sure he didn't want know. 

"Daniel." His dad said, standing up from the table with a grim expression. "We need to talk."

"Um." Dan said, frantically trying to figure out what he'd done wrong, or wondering if this was it, were they finally going to get a divorce. They were close enough as it was. "Alright, what about?"

"We had quite an interesting conversation with the Lesters yesterday." His dad continued. Dan's stomach started twisting anxiously, because he was sure he knew exactly what this was about.

"Did you now?" Dan said. He knew that being a sarcastic ass wasn't going to help the situation, but it was a defense mechanism. 

He saw his dad clench his jaw, obviously not in the mood. "Told us something interesting about Phil. Your best friend."

Dan didn't say anything. He'd much rather act like he didn't know what they were talking about. It would probably cause a lot less damage. 

His mum had also been silent this whole time, sitting at the table placidly with a cup of coffee in between her hands. She didn't look as if she was going to be saying anything soon. 

"Told us he was gay."

Dan chewed his tongue nervously at the angry look on his fathers face. He'd never heard his parents view on the LGBT community before, but he never guessed that they were against it. He'd been wary of course, never telling them Phil's secret or about his own bisexuality. He didn't want to cause any more disruption in the already tense household. 

"And?" Dan replied after a moment. 

"Did you know about this?" His dad continued, not bothering to hide the obvious irritation in his voice.

"Maybe." Dan said with a shrug. "I don't see what's so important about it."

"You don't." His dad said, and Dan tensed at the hostility in his deep voice. "Cause I sure as hell do. You've been hanging out with him all this time. Have you got it too?"

Dan scoffed. "What do you mean 'have I got it'? It's not a damn disease." He hated his. Hated that his dad this thick and couldn't accept the fact that people were different. And he sure as hell was not going to let him talk about Phil as if he was hospital ridden. 

"You don't talk to me like that, Daniel." His dad growled, but Dan didn't even flinch. He was too mad. 

"You don't talk about my friend like that." He said. "You've no business, sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong. And you can keep your thoughts to yourself, because I really don't want to hear the crap you vomit." He paused for a second. "And yes. I'm not straight dad. I actually was making out with Phil in my room not too long ago." 

He should have know it was coming, but he couldn't prepare himself for the sharp slap his father gave him. It hurt like a bitch, but Dan only clenched his jaw, staring at the wall resolutely. 

"I didn't raise you like this."

"You didn't raise me like anything." Dan hissed. "You're a self righteous asshole who doesn't give a shit about anyone. And I couldn't care less about what you make of yourself."

Dan glanced at his mum for a split second, before glaring at his dad stonily and storming back up to  
his room. 

He didn't go to school that day. He stayed up in his room, curled up on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. There were these little glow in the dark stars stuck up there that he'd put up when he was nine and had always been too lazy to take down. He heard both his parents leave a few hours later and sighed. 

What was he going to do now? He wasn't going to apologize to them, because he'd meant every word that he'd said. Either his parents tolerated him for the next year, until he left for Uni, or they hated him and kicked him out. Or they just ignored him altogether. 

Or...

It was a stupid reckless idea, created by teen hormones and anger, but the more he thought about it, the more appealing it actually sounded. He could even ask Phil if...

But how would that turn out? They were teenagers, who didn't have a clue how the world truly worked. They'd probably die. Well, they'd probably die if they kept this up too. 

And what if Phil said no, called him crazy and rejected him? He really couldn't do this alone. 

He spent the rest of the day packing. 

~ ~ ~

That night, close to midnight, Dan climbed out onto his roof, dragging a large duffel bag out with him and sitting. It was pretty warm outside, and Dan leaned back against the wall of his house, staring up at the dark sky. 

He didn't know if this would work, but not too long after, the window across from him slid open and Phil climbed out to join him. Dan smiled as he watched Phil struggled to fit his tall body through the small window. 

"Well, I guess both of our parents hate us, then." Dan said when Phil sat next to him. He didn't look over, keeping his gaze fixed on the sky, but he felt Phil looking at him. 

"What happened?"

"I guess your parents told mine about your dirty little secret. I never knew it, but they're homophobic dicks. At least, my dad is." Dan said. "I told him that I wasn't straight either, and how we kissed. He slapped me, and that was it."

"Defending my honor?" Phil said with a smirk, and Dan shoved him. He has missed this, joking around with his best friend on the roof at night. "I'm sorry." Phil said seriously. 

Dan shrugged, not really worrying about his parents right now. He didn't care what they thought. 

"You don't regret it, do you?" Phil asked suddenly, and Dan looked over at him questioningly. "Kissing me?"

Dan stared at him for a second. His blue eyes looked sort of silver in the light of the moon, and how could he just now be realizing how beautiful this boy really is? And he was amazing, too. 

Dan leaned over, pressing his lips against Phil's gently and pulling away just as quick. Phil smiled at him, his whole face lighting up with the action. 

They sat in silence for some time, just listening to the night around them, and at one point, Phil reached over and tangled his fingers with Dan's without saying anything. 

"What's with the bag?" Phil asked eventually, nodding to the bulky bag on the other side of Dan. 

"I had an idea." Dan said simply. He paused for a moment, mentally arguing with himself about whether he should really tell Phil. 

"And that is?" Phil pressed, raising an eyebrow. Dan looked back at him, into his eyes, noticing the curiosity in them. 

"What if we didn't have to be here?" Dan said softly. He tightened his hold on Phil's hand, as if seeking some kind of reassurance. "Do you think anyone would miss us? If we left?"

It was silent for the longest time, and Dan was worried that Phil would laugh at him. This was a stupid idea, he'd already known. But there was still that small part of him that could hope. 

"No." Phil said after a while. "They would at first. Two teenage boys, disappearing? Not easy to digest. But after a while.... they'd get over it."

Dan's stomach twisted at his words. He was sure about this, about his will to leave. But it still was painful, knowing he wasn't important enough to remember for longer than necessary. 

"Where would we go?" Dan asked. He hadn't planned anything, had only had the idea today. It was a reckless move, and it would most likely end up being the worst thing they could do. But it was the best thing he could imagine right now. Being on his own with Phil and not having anyone else get in their way. 

"We'd find a place." Phil answered. "It might take a while. Years, even. We could stay in shabby motels till then. Live off of fast food and whatnot."

Dan laughed, rolling his eyes. But he didn't deny it. Honestly, he'd take whatever if it meant just going. "You'd actually do it?" Dan asked. "Run away?"

"With you?" Phil responded. Dan nodded. "Give me five minutes." 

Before Dan could say anything else, Phil had stood up and crawled back through his window. Dan stared after him in amazement, not quite processing that, yes this was happening, they were going to leave. Together. Right now, apparently. 

Dan laughed. He was incredibly happy right now, for no real reason. He leaned back, laying across his roof and staring up at the white stars standing out against the black sky. 

They'll figure it out as they go. They'll be okay. He knows it.


End file.
